I looked around at the stars while waiting to be sent back. Although a part of me felt betrayed at losing an opportunity at revenge, another part- the rational one -was wondering why Rekdat hasn't said anything. Like reading my thoughts- maybe He did read them- a sad sigh echoed out around me." We all made this much more difficult than it should be. Now, if you all will allow me to speak to my chosen. I will have him accept the quest."

His certainty bothered me.

A brief silence ensued, in which I was certain the [ Gods ] spoke to each other. While I was thinking of what the old [ God ] could offer to make me obedient, the one-sided conversation resumed. " Yes. Kayden, I know you will not be accepting anything we ask you to do. And that you know we can't force you to do anything either. But first, I must hand over something I was holding onto for you. For a very long time."

Suddenly an old notification filled my vision -

Accolade Granted: By the skin of your teeth.

You have survived the Manhunt founded by The Vanguard, comprised of the best Adventurers of your Continent, served by the most accomplished Mage himself.

- You have earned the favor of Rekdat, The God of Trials.

"You do remember earning this accolade, right Kayden? Left with only wits and a beating heart yet besting everyone. Certainly, it was worthy of my favor, no doubt."

"Yes, I do but it doesn't offer any reward or benefits -"

" Until now, that is. Yes, I have delayed your prize for a while now. Now is the ideal time to bestow them upon you."

Another notification stole my sight before I could say anything.

Rekdat's Mark of the Chosen [ Epic ].

Proof of Worth:

Power shall not belong to fools or the wise, neither to the cowards nor the brave. The fortunate do not deserve it the same as the miserable. If they are not worthy. Worthy are those who wield courage with caution, temper greed with fear, conquer ignorance with wisdom, and humble fate with their resolve. Prove your worth and earn power enough to rend the stars themselves. Lose...... and die.

" Now you will be amenable to our deal, won't you Kayden?," the [ God ] asked. An angry hiss resonated from the Goddess and other than that, the next few minutes were spent in stunned and contemplative quiet. I cautiously read and then re-read the notification several times, with each time Rekdat's goal becoming increasingly clearer. A [ God's ] title like [ The God of Trials ] describes more than just their jurisdiction, it is their very nature itself. Rekdat's nature forces his [ Mark ] or favor to offer [ Trials ] which give ample opportunities to gain power and great abilities or some other trophies for its completion, not to talk about the [ Accolades ] earned in the process. [ Trials ] did not lead to unfavorable circumstances for the adventurer upon victory. His nature also has an interesting feature, all the [ Trial's ] participants would have, at least a possibility of winning. It was not a [ Trial ] if death was guaranteed. There will definitely be a chance at victory. That was how His [ Trials ] always were- opportunities abundant, danger commonplace but twistedly fair.

Closing my eyes, I perceived the [ Mark of the Chosen ], it was a purple radiance swirling around in patterns I could not comprehend.' So, if I accept their quest as a [ Trial ] instead, since this was an [ Epic ] ranked mark, I get a shot at actually coming out benefited from this apart from the fact that I could slip away from the Mage Guild's metaphorical palm. And losing would be fulfilling the [ Gods' ] plans' I thought. Still admiring the shifting radiance, I calmed my pounding heart and controlled my breathing.

' Will I be able to pass away this chance?' I asked myself. All of my being yelled 'No' and I used the [ Mark ] without any further hesitation. The radiance brightened to an incredible degree and then vanished. A pity my only [ Epic ] ranked possession had to go so soon. Deciding to check my notifications later I answered the waiting [ God ].

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" Yes, I humbly accept the quest, My Lord," I said with determination. Rekdat continued like he expected nothing else, " Well, now that we have acknowledged your willingness, we shall proceed. Hmmm.....to make this a [ Trial ] you should be provided with much more information than we originally intended to give," a questioning hum came from the Warrior God, ignoring that Rekdat continued " Remember Kayden, this is knowledge we do not want many to learn, so choose wisely if you ever wish to share this. This Trial of yours will lead to another world, one not conquered by Our Champion."

I stared blankly, unable to believe what I heard. ' To another world? Tha..that makes sense, it may be the only way,' I thought and with rapt attention, I listened. " This world is quite similar to yours, similar in landscape and .....hmmm... even in origin. It shares the same name as your world- Virya - and was born along with it. Each existing in the shadow of the other. Sages named such worlds Twinborn Worlds. An apt name I concur. Some would also call it a Twiceborn World," He said. " The Cataclysm stuck that world only a few years after it did yours and there Kayden, lays our-" an offended snort echoed from the Goddess "- His " He paused for a moment, as if tasting the word and spit it out with coldness I never associated with Him " Blunder."

The word echoed in my ears for an uncomfortable minute before I asked what I had to " What blunder?"

A sigh rang through the space and for an instant the stars dimmed. "At the beginning, we could grant access to the [ System ] to only a few and we did so almost randomly in your world, but when the choice was given the second time, we hesitated. Your species devolved into mayhem while we desired armies prepared to rally against [ Chaos ]. And so my colleague convinced us to choose an alternative...." He said and continued " We chose the World leaders for our cause, for it was one such person who gathered an army the fastest in your world. That proved to be the world's downfall. While they served our purposes with little anarchy and discipline, that vanished when they realized everyone eventually awakens."

The one to assemble an army was the self-proclaimed King and it did not end well for anyone involved. Though arbitrary awakenings indeed caused mayhem, many believed that it was truly necessary. To show the power holders that their reign has ended and to foil their every attempt at controlling and exploiting the phenomenon. And as a message to that generation of people, that safety cannot be taken for granted any longer. This allowed the new societies to form on the principles of seeking strength, dungeon diving, and hunting monsters. Not of bloodline-based authority or anything like that.

As my thoughts spun, a vice I unknowingly cultivated in the past few years reared its head. It was a recklessness of sorts. With my death in sight, I developed a carelessness for consequences. And it led me to entertain disdain for the Warrior God for the shortest of moments. And all of a sudden, I saw a giant made of swirling star-dust, dotted with stars and planets. With a supernova-like explosion rippling light from His heart with its every beat. He glared at me with black holes which serve as His eyes. I found myself on my knees, clutching my throat while dying of asphyxiation and desperately trying to remember how to breathe. There I tasted a flavor of fear I would never forget, one that felt primal and unadulterated. Just the knowledge of the scope of His existence threatened to crush my soul to oblivion. After a while, He disappeared and when I got up, I immediately bowed and croaked out " Pardon my offense, my Lord."

I waited like that for a few minutes and finally, the Warrior God replied " You may rise, human. Consider yourself fortunate."

I straightened up shaking and considered what to say when Rekdat spoke " Your soul will be transferred to the new world Kayden and that is all I can tell you. The rest is up to you."

" What?! What should I do there? What is the reason for sending me!?" I asked aloud, the soul transfer part confusing and upsetting me.

" That is for you to find out. I gave you enough. Your role in that world will become clear as you progress through the quest. Now, I'll send you to the other world."

"Wait! My lord," I shouted hastily. Despite the information given to me, the true dangers lie within what He did not say. Because the [ Trial ] has already begun when I activated the [ Mark ]. I was certain my travel to the other world involves something. What it was, I had no idea but the nature of [ Trial ] must mean I could get around the problem. To put my thoughts in order and to craft a semblance of a plan, I needed time. I was desperately hoping that I would be allowed some preparation. " Is it possible to grant me some time? For such a grand [ Trial ], I believe I cannot start without preparations," I asked.

" Very well, when you intend to start, think of the word [ Transfer ] and you shall find yourself in a new world. Good luck, Kayden."

With that, I found myself a step away from the sunlight bathing the forest floor outside my cave.

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I stood there like that for a couple of hours. First, I had to shake away the lingering fear from looking at a [ God's ] physical form. Finally calm, I slowly played the events of the summoning in my mind, considering every word spoken carefully. After that, I realized if the [ Transfer ] involves only my soul I might have a way out. It was a [ Gift ] from a mythical beast that I did not have to use until this day. Looking out, I decided to go all out in combat for once before I leave.

I checked myself for my bow and quiver, threw away the hunting knife- it was a waste of space in combat- and patted my chest feeling for the claw-shaped pendant, my only equipment worth anything and a [ Rare ] item. Finding everything in place, I jogged out to the forest with a smile. It was a good day to hunt.